Our World Cup All-Star XI.

With the 2026 World Cup now just days away, we thought it would be a good time to list our All-Star World Cup team. Who will rewrite the history books in this year’s tournament, and will any player do enough to earn a spot on any future World Cup dream team? Some great players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Johan Cruyff have all failed to make our team, which we have set up in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, but just who has made it?

Read on below to find out.

Our All-Time World Cup XI

GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

No opposition player scored a goal from open play against Buffon during Italy’s victorious 2006 World Cup campaign. An own goal and a Zinedine Zidane penalty were the only goals Buffon let in as Italy won on penalties against France. He was named in the 2006 All-Star team and ended his career as the most capped Italian player of all time with 176 caps.

RB: Cafu (Brazil)

Brazil has produced some of the best full-backs the game has ever seen, and Cafu is up there as the very best. A dynamo up and down the right wing, Cafu combined dazzling attacking flair with astute defensive intelligence. Cafu finished his career with 142 caps, the most of any Brazilian player, and won two World Cups, including as captain in 2002.

CB: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

Regarded as the creator of the modern sweeper role, Beckenbauer won the World Cup as both a player and a manager. He captained West Germany to the title in 1974 before leading them to success in 1990 as the team’s manager. Nicknamed ‘Der Kaiser', Beckenbauer won just about everything there is to win in club and international football, making 18 World Cup appearances as a player.

CB: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)

Italian teams take great pride in their ability to defend, and few could do it better than their 2006 World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro. Italy only conceded two goals in that tournament, with Cannavaro’s ability to read the game, his pace and his tackling ability all major contributors to Italy winning a fourth world title. He was also crowned the 2006 Ballon d’Or winner, the last defender to win the famous prize.

LB: Roberto Carlos (Brazil)

At his best, Roberto Carlos was simply the best attacking full back in the world, combining flawless technical skill with an ability to whip enticing crosses into the box. He made 125 appearances for Brazil, including 17 at 3 World Cups. He was named in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup All-Star teams, winning the 2002 tournament with Brazil.

DM: Lothar Matthäus (Germany)

The instrumental captain of the victorious German World Cup team in 1990, Matthäus was later named Ballon d’Or winner in the same year. Matthäus was known for his versatility, passing ability and positional sense and is still Germany’s record cap holder with 150 appearances to his name, including 25 at 5 World Cups.

CM: Zinedine Zidane (France)

Zizou won the World Cup with France in 1998 and, later that year, was named the Ballon d’Or winner. He hit two goals for France in that final against Brazil as they became world champions for the very first time. He would lead France to the World Cup final once again eight years later, though that tournament would end on a sour note for the great man as he received a red card for a headbutt on Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

CM: Andrés Iniesta (Spain)

Part of that all-star midfield trio of Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets that revolutionised midfield play, it was Iniesta that generally stood out most amongst the trio. A mercurial, ball-carrying playmaker, Iniesta scored the winner in Spain’s World Cup final success over the Netherlands in 2010 and is the only man to be named man of the match in a World Cup final, a European Championship final and a Champions League final.

AM: Diego Maradona (Argentina)

For so long, the debate about the world’s greatest-ever footballer involved Maradona and Brazilian legend Pelé; such is the status the 1986 World Cup winner has within the game. The emergence of his fellow Argentine Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may mean that conversation has been broadened over the years, but his World Cup legacy can never be diminished. Quite simply, when he was at his best, he was in a league of his own.

ST: Pelé (Brazil)

The other member of the original ‘Big Two’ alongside Maradona was Brazil’s Pelé. Pelé won the World Cup a record three times as a player, with his first coming in 1958 as a 17-year-old wonderkid. He later won the tournament again in 1962 and 1970, hitting 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances. The sport’s first global superstar, Pelé finished his Brazil career with a staggering 77 goals in 92 caps.

ST: Ronaldo (Brazil)

Pelé’s partner up front is another icon of Brazilian football, Ronaldo. Ronaldo won two World Cups, firstly as an unused sub in 1994 and then as undoubtedly the best player in the world in 2002. In that 2002 competition he was crowned the tournament’s top scorer with 8 goals, scoring against every opponent in that tournament except England in the quarter-final. He finished his World Cup career with 15 goals in 19 appearances.

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